Bowl season was kind to area football players
From Myrtle Beach to Music City, local football players thrived during bowl season.
After scouring box scores and rosters from 46 bowl games over the last month, we’ve narrowed the list of contributions to 32 players spread across the area.
And from that list, we’ve come up with a “Best of the Bowl Season” compilation.
Top team
By team, we mean the bowl game roster showcasing the most area talent. And while there were many runner-up candidates (Western Michigan and Illinois, in particular), the award goes to Northwestern in its 34-7 win over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Carmine Bastone (St. Charles North) was a leader on the defense, while Jack Sadowsky (Batavia) and Jack Trautmann (York) notched tackles.
On offense, Hunter Welcing (Lake Zurich) and Carson Grove (Hersey) snared passes. Backup quarterback Ryan Boe (Batavia) also got in the box score with a completed pass and a run for 6 yards. Veteran kicker Jack Olsen (Wheaton Warrenville South) converted four extra points.
The trenches
Perhaps no bowl team committed to the run more than Army in its 41-16 win over UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. The Black Knights plowed for 368 rushing yards on 56 carries (an average of 6.6 yards) and threw the ball only nine times.
Anchoring the dominant offensive line performance was senior right guard Paolo Gennarelli (St. Charles North), who started 11 games this season. Sophomore Josh Manecke (Downers Grove South) saw his first action of the season in the bowl game.
A shout out to senior Owen Walter (Prospect). He was Army’s long snapper in the bowl game, capping a season in which he played in all 13 games.
Special teams MVP
A bunch of area players excelled in the third phase this bowl season, but the award goes to Illinois kicker David Olano (Naperville North).
He booted three extra points and three field goals, including the game-winning 29-yarder with three seconds left to beat Tennessee 30-28 in the Music City Bowl.
Offensive play of the bowl season
On Western Michigan’s first play from scrimmage in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, redshirt junior running back Jalen Buckley (Batavia) burst for a 65-yard touchdown to start a 41-6 rout of Kennesaw State.
Buckley rushed for 174 yards on 8 carries to earn MVP honors in the game.
Offensive MVP
While Buckley is a strong candidate, we’re going with Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski (Neuqua Valley). He went toe-to-toe with Heisman finalist Diego Pavia in a 34-27 Hawkeyes victory over Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Gronowski completed 16 of 22 passes for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing for 54 yards on 10 carries, including a 44-yarder and a 1-yard touchdown.
Defensive play of the bowl season
Back to the Myrtle Beach Bowl, where Western Michigan redshirt sophomore safety Joey Pope (Glenbard West) finished off the blowout win over Kennesaw State with a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Pope, who had 3 interceptions on the season, also had 2 solo tackles in the win.
Defensive MVP
Six-four, 265-pound sophomore linebacker Joe Barna (Wheaton North) came up with the biggest defensive play of the game for Illinois in its Music City Bowl victory.
He forced a fumble on a sack early in the third quarter that ended up in a 20-yard loss and a recovery in the end zone by teammate Leon Lowery for an Illini touchdown.
Barna, who played in all 13 games this season, had 4 tackles in the game.